Scores of entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts across the continent are expected to meet tomorrow at the Kofi-Annan ICT Centre in Accra to design a model to build more than 20,000 weather stations to help address challenges of climate change using mass-produced consumer electronics and the extensive mobile phone coverage in Africa.
This is the first of two events to be held in Africa, with the final leg fixed for Senegal later this year.
The initiative to get the weather stations established is at the instance of the Delft University in the Netherlands in collaboration with Africa Gathering to help design a network of affordable weather stations in Africa through the Trans-African Hydro-Metrological Observatory (TAHMO) initiative.
In an interview with DW, Professor Nick van de Giesen, an engineer at Delft University of Technology and initiator of the project noted: “The number of measurement stations in Africa are just very, very limited.
“From a technical point of view this is feasible, and the value to be produced by this network will be high and the benefits immense.â€
Mr. Giesen said there is a need to ensure that the system to be designed is financially sustainable, and also adapt the technology to local needs in order to guarantee the success of a locally-designed system.
“Africa is huge. I’ve spent a lot of time here and you cannot compare Lesotho with Chad -- these are just completely different environments. So we need this large network of people on the ground that are willing to think about this, work with us, test things, etc.â€
In line with this, the initiative is involving African students in a competition to design cost-effective systems.
Thus, the programme plans to bring to the fore a good model to establish and operate a network of 20,000 stations through brainstorming sessions and a contest wherein entrepreneurs, innovators, creators and technology enthusiasts will be actively invited to share their ideas during two separate events to be held in Ghana and Senegal.
The best business model will be presented with a prize of 5,000 euro for designing a system that has an appropriate pricing scheme for stations’ owners and caretakers to provide security, minimal maintenance and to ensure good data delivery.
Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), said during a UN Climate Change conference that “Weather monitoring systems in Africa are deteriorating and require improvement if we were to meet the challenges of climate changeâ€.
By Evans Boah-Mensah
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS